Type 1 Diabetes and Memory

[tnmom30]

I have been married to a type 1 diabetic for almost 2 years.  We only dated about 6 mths prior to our marriage part of which time he worked out of town.  I am still having trouble learning the effects of this disease on his memory.  Just as an example someone can tell him a story and 2 days later when he repeats the story to someone else it is totally wrong.  Or another example is that he can tell you something that happened to him in the past or in the present, about  a conversation he had or an event that happened to him, and later it changes.  This upsets me very much and I explained it to him and he says it is because of his diabetes. I assume that because he wants to lead a normal life that he never really thinks about what he is saying might not be right due to memory issues.    
I have learned to see the signs of low and high sugar and I know that he is very aggitated and is angried easy during and I can deal with that.  I have also come to an unsterstanding of how he manages his diabetes and that he as dealt with the disease for 32 years and that he knows his body.  Please help me with this issue about memory.
Thanks

[C6H12O6]

well i'm here for the same reason...im 43 and type 1 for 16 years (a late starter)
quite simply my short term memory is deteriorating. I was renound for my recall both short and long term but even my daughters have noticed a difference its frustrating....I find myself standing in the kitchen or bedroom having forgot what I went there for in the first place I remain ther for a while hoping it will come to me but it doesnt so I leave only to think of what I wanted  to do or get much later. There is a link i am sure of that. I have had a few severe hypos over the years and i dont think its good for ones brain to be starved of fuel lack of oxygen causes brain cell death lack of glucose  must do the same surely???
I also agree that hyperglcaemia must cause damage anurisms haemorrages and exudate to form in the fine vessels within the brain too. I'm no medic but it makes sense that an organ that is dependent on the oxidisation of glucose to function will not be chronically affected by both hyper and hypo glycaemic states.

Tim

[bivry29]

reading this blog makes me feel reassured but upset at the same time. I've had type 1 since the age of ten. I'm now 21 and my flatmate and I are noticing that I will tell her stories that I've already told her about and when she tells me her stories I won't remember she did the next time it comes up! I'm healthy like most of the people here, go to the gym, eat right. But I've been finding it very tedious working on my final year dissertations in college, I keep having to re-read things before I write about it, and I know I've read the paper two or three times already! I've never let my condition get to me but now I'm starting to lose motivation, I don't want to be someone that needs extra help! I'm still fighting and I think we all should too, even if the goal is limited

[M0m03]

I am Type 1 since the age of 2 yrs---I'm 39 now---my memory is terrible!!  Both short term, and long term.  I have to write things down if I need to remember them.  Other than that---my health is wonderful.

[mn277]

I am 24 years old and have had type 1 diabetes since 1 1/2 years old. I have been on the insulin pump for 4 years now and have experienced much better control....still not where it could be, but way better prior to the pump. Recently I have found myself wondering what is wrong with my memory. I have trouble remembering most of my childhood or even events that happened months ago. I can only truly remember portions of conversations I have. My boyfriend tells me all the time....I just don't understand why you cant remember things or our conversations. Even in my line of work I tend to forget simple things if I don't do them on a daily basis. Its very frustrating, but I am too young to be having memory issues.  I also have headaches a few times a week and feel tired ALL the time. I feel like I am 80 years old trapped in a 24 year old body. I work out but it tends to make me more tired. I have very little energy.

[westtxangie]

Wow. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only person suffering from this frustrating condition. I am 40 and was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 3. For the past 5 or so years, my memory is getting more and more erratic. I am also experiencing word loss, which is very frustrating because I'm a college English instructor.

The idea that this can be attributed to blood vessel damage makes sense. I've also wondered if episodes of severe hypoglymecia--throughout my life, I've had a few of these--might attribute to this condition. I don't know. Are there studies out there looking into this? The Joslin Clinic maybe?

[Tfurd2]

I am 60 yo now.  Been type 1 since I was 16.  I have been having these memory probs for a long time.  I was a computer programmer/analyst for years, but had to take disability 10 years ago because I just couldn't do the job anymore.  Sorry I don't have any solutions for you, wish I did.  I am getting a reputation for forgetting, whether my sugar is low, high, or just fine.  The 44 years of lows and highs do take their toll even tho I have no prob with my eyes, heart, circulation or any of the classic long term diabetic problems.  Hate to be a pessimist, but maybe it is best to try to learn to deal with it.  More recently, I have had TIA probs.  I really lost memory after this last one.  But then the emergency room didn't treat me for a TIA because they were convinced from the start that I was having a prob due to illegal drugs which I am vehemently against.  Even tho my lady friend told them many times that I don't do drugs and that it was a TIA but I distinctly remember hearing them say "if you don't tell us what drug he took, we can't help you"....  I was unable to speak coherently to tell them myself(I did 'dress them out' once I began to recover.  They still put me out the back door, in the cold of 5 A.M. , no car in sight (came by ambulance), cell phone dead, and no shoes.   Since I can't prove severe and permanent damage, I can't sue them.  What a crock .  Lesson to be learned.....don't go to St. Pete General Hospital in Florida and carry proper documentation of your condition(I don't call it a disease). .........good luck......Tony